The Weekend Mug
October 30, 2010
Some things to read after I carved my pumpkin. (Feel free to link to pictures of your jack o' lanterns!)
It's been a while since I've done a weekend mug. My apologies for that--it's been a hectic few weeks in Madison between school and my new job. Everything seems to have settled down now, though, so I should be around from now on. That being said, there hasn't been a whole lot of news in the Cream City the past couple days, so this mug will probably be a nice compact one.
The hot topic is still the Brewers managerial search, as Tom H checks in reminding us Milwaukee still hasn't made a decision. The Final Four still hasn't changed from the reported Melvin, Cora, Valentine and Roenicke.
There might be some thought that Doug Melvin has already made his decision on who to hire to fill the vacancy and is just waiting until after the completion of the world series to make the announcement. Tom says that that isn't the case, and the Brewers are still considering their options. The interesting thing to me in that article is it appears that Bob Melvin isn't Doug Melvin's favorite candidate, as was previously thought. It actually looks like D. Melvin is a big fan of Bobby Valentine and it isn't just Mark Attanasio pushing for a big name manager. NBC's Hardball Talk is also thinking Valentine is the clear favorite. I'm just glad to see we (hopefully) won't have to continue differentiating between B. Melvin and D. Melvin.
The only other Brewer related news I was able to found (apparently people don't write much about the Brewers on Halloween weekend) is this post from Fragile Freddy's ranking the thirty major league teams on how important they have been to baseball fans in general. The Brewers were able to check in at 26th place, while the Yankees are first.
Around the Majors:
Twins: Exercised option on Jason Kubel, but decline Nick Punto's option
Have you been watching the World Series? No? You aren't the only one. World Series ratings are down nearly 25% from last year when the Yankees defeated the Phillies. Game two of this years series is the second lowest rating ever. I'll be honest, I haven't really been watching. Neither the Giants nor the Rangers interest me very much, and I suspect many people think that way. Even though Giants closer Brian Wilson seems like a pretty cool cat.
In rumor news, the White Sox are interested in the Cardinal's Colby Rasmus and are willing to part with Carlos Quentin. Also, the Yankees are looking for a left handed reliever. Maybe they'll want to take Mitch Stetter off the Brewers' hands.
That's all I've got this weekend unless you want to read the worst player scouting ever. (h/t Baseball Think Factory)
Fifty Ways To Leave Milwaukee
October 30, 2010
Here's a quick musical interlude for the weekend. Most of the credit for it belongs to nullacct: I pitched him the idea and a few lines, but the best parts belong to him.
Sung to the tune of Paul Simon's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
"The problem is Milwaukee can't compete", he said to me
The answer is quite logical, sabermetrically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to leave Milwaukee
He said it's not really my habit to kibitz
But I can see that being in Milwaukee gives you fits
There's twenty-nine other teams that could employ your mitts
There must be fifty ways to leave Milwaukee
Fifty ways to leave Milwaukee
Find a new endeavor, Trevor.
Go hide in a cave, Dave.
No need to be sad, Brad
Just get yourself free
There's no words to mince, Prince
Don't need a press conference
Time to redeploy, LaTroy
And test free agency
Find a new endeavor, Trevor.
Go hide in a cave, Dave.
No need to be sad, Brad
Just get yourself free
There's no words to mince, Prince
Don't need a press conference
Time to redeploy, LaTroy
And test free agency
He said it grieves me greatly to see your career done ill
It's obvious that Kansas City is dying for your skill
I said I appreciate your words, and please explain
About the fifty ways
He said why don't you visit my office in La Paz
He gave me a business card with gold letters embossed
That was the day I was shown the light by Scott Boras
There must be fifty ways to leave Milwaukee
Fifty ways to leave Milwaukee
Find a new endeavor, Trevor.
Go hide in a cave, Dave.
No need to be sad, Brad
Just get yourself free
There's no words to mince, Prince
Don't need a press conference
Blame the economy, C.C.
And test free agency
Find a new endeavor, Trevor.
Go hide in a cave, Dave.
No need to be sad, Brad
Just get yourself free
There's no words to mince, Prince
Don't need a press conference
Time to redeploy, LaTroy
And test free agency
The Forgotten Brewers Series: Part II
October 29, 2010Coming in at No. 10, with 156 Brewers games started, is journeyman Jaime Navarro. Navarro pitched for Milwaukee from 1989-1994 and in 2000. During his career with the Brewers, he had a record of 62-64, a 4.44 ERA and 1.408 WHIP. He compiled a 6.3 WAR (Baseball Reference)/ 15.1 (Fangraphs). His best year with Milwaukee was 1992 when he went 17-11 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.171 WHIP. Milwaukee posted one of its best records of all time that year, 92-70.
Things went downhill quickly for Navarro after his stellar 1992 campaign. He posted losing records, 11-12 and 4-9, and saw his ERA and WHIP balloon to 5.33/6.62 and 1.562/1.673 in 1993 and 1994. He had the dubious distinction of leading the AL in earned runs allowed in 1993 with 127 (in 214.1 innings pitched).
Milwaukee granted Navarro free agency in April of 1995 and he signed with the Chicago Cubs a few days later. He had two decent years (winning records, ERA under 4) with the Cubs before signing with the Chicago White Sox following the 1996 season. Things did not go well for Navarro while with the Sox as he again led the AL in earned runs allowed in 1997 and posted three consecutive losing records. He also led the league in wild pitches in 1997 and 1998.
Things were so bad for Navarro following the 1998 season, he worked on a sidearm delivery with his father, Julio Navarro. A former big league pitcher, Julio played for the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit and Atlanta during his career. Despite his attempt to alter his throwing motion, Navarro had another disappointing season in 1999.
Navarro’s hard times did not deter the Brewers from trading for him in 2000, however. Navarro and pitcher John Snyder were traded to Milwaukee for Cal Eldred and Jose Valentin in what would later be remembered as one of the worst Brewer trades of all-time. Navarro went 0-5 with a 12.54 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched before the Brewers released him. Navarro signed with the Rockies, Indians, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Reds over the next three years but never made it back to the big leagues on a full time basis. He appeared in seven games for Cleveland in 2000. Navarro finished his playing career in Mexico and Italy, playing three seasons (2004-2006) for BBC Grosseto before his retirement.
As evidenced by the end of his playing days, Navarro wasn't one to move on and pursue interests outside of baseball. In 2008, Navarro became the pitching coach for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Navarro moved to Single-A ball with High Desert in 2009 and in 2010 he served as the pitching coach for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Mariners. The Rainiers won the Pacific Coast League in 2010.
The right hander from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was born March 27, 1968 and attended Miami-Dade College before being drafted by the Brewers in the third round of the 1987 draft. The oddest little tidbit I could find about Jaime Navarro was that he threw three straight complete games against the Yankees from 1990-91 while with Milwaukee. A feat matched by Felix Hernandez this season.
Jaime Navarro, you are no longer forgotten.
Friday’s Frosty Mug
October 29, 2010
Some things to read while searching for the right note.
The managerial search was quiet for a day yesterday, but this Tom Haudricourt post included a few relatively important tidbits:
- The team reportedly was not in touch with Bobby Valentine yesterday.
- Bob Melvin's name is starting to come up as a candidate for the Mets' job. (Jon Heyman also noted this.)
- Ron Roenicke is probably the least likely candidate at this point.
Haudricourt also tweeted that Joey Cora was impressive in interviews, for whatever that's worth.
If the rumors were true and the Brewers really are planning on hiring Valentine, there's an outside chance they could announce it today while the World Series is on a travel day. It seems more likely, though, that they'll wait until the series is over.
We've suspected this for a while now, but it's more or less officially confirmed: The Brewers won't be receiving any draft pick compensation for their free agents this winter. The Elias rankings are out and Trevor Hoffman (Type B) is the only Brewer free agent listed (FanShot). The Brewers are unlikely to offer Hoffman arbitration, and he's moderately unlikely to play next season.
It's worth noting that, for the most part, the Brewers have done a very good job over the last decade with the money they've spent in the draft. MLB Trade Rumors has a look at the top five amateur signing bonuses in club history: Now that Mark Rogers debuted this season all five have made the majors, four are still in the organization and three are franchise cornerstones.
Of course, many of the team's free agent signings haven't been nearly as successful. The team could be reaching a turning point there, though: Adam Rubin of ESPN New York had a post yesterday looking at players the Mets could possibly acquire in a swap of bad contracts, and there wasn't a single Brewer listed as a possibility.
The Brewer bats still weren't the problem this season. R.J. Anderson of Bloomberg Sports has the Brewer offense's Season in Review.
In the minors:
- Minor League Baseball Prospects has unveiled their annual ranking of the top 2000 minor league performances this season, ranked by performance relative to age. Brett Lawrie cracked the top five at #4, eleven other Brewers (Caleb Gindl, Lee Haydel, Zach Braddock, Zelous Wheeler, Mat Gamel, Erik Komatsu, Cody Scarpetta, Jeremy Jeffress, Taylor Green, Martin Maldonado and Jake Odorizzi) are ranked in the top 400, and 41 more players appear somewhere between #401 and 2000.
- Caleb Gindl is still a pretty fascinating prospect for me. He doesn't look the part of a major leaguer but he's hit everywhere he's gone, including in each of his first eight games in the AFL. Not bad for a guy who a scout compared to a Smurf.
- Gindl's AFL teammate, Eric Farris, is also off to a pretty solid start for Surprise. With that said, Keith Law says he doesn't profile as either an everyday player or a utility guy in the majors.
- It's new logo season, and Wisconsin has decided to jump in. They're planning on updating their look for the 2011 season and unveiling three new logos. The current logo and color scheme have been in place since the team moved to Fox Cities Stadium and became the Timber Rattlers in 1995.
Got a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket? The Brewers Bar has a look at some obscure Brewer items available on Ebay. I'll admit it: I bid on one of them. If you've got a lot of cash on hand, you might be interested in knowing that Jimmy Kimmel's auction of Doug Melvin's signed bobblehead is up to $2650, and runs through Sunday.
Of course, you could also spend that money on a new BCB T-shirt. Or a lot of them. They make excellent Christmas gifts.
Speaking of money, the Brewers announced yesterday that they raised $3 million for the Brewers Community Foundation this season.
Around baseball:
Phillies: Jamie Moyer, third baseman Greg Dobbs and catcher Paul Hoover have all rejected outright assignments to the minors and are now free agents.
Here's a transaction that didn't happen, but might have been the offseason's most fascinating if it did: The Marlins and White Sox reportedly discussed a deal that would have sent stud outfielder Mike Stanton to Chicago in exchange for manager Ozzie Guillen.
I had some other things going on last night so I didn't start watching the game until sometime in the seventh inning. I turned it on and, within one batter, Tim McCarver's rant on pitch counts prompted me to turn the sound off. The Golden Sombrero is nominating McCarver for the position of "Baseball's Worst Announcer," and I think there's a case to be made.
Over the last couple of years I've been saddened to read of the decline of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which appears to have lost its direction a bit when Buck O'Neil passed away. Joe Posnanski was one of the Museum's most ardent supporters for quite some time, and has a great post on what the museum used to be, what went wrong and the possibility that it will bounce back under new leadership.
On this day in 2002 the Brewers hired Ned Yost to be the 15th manager in franchise history. At 457-502, Yost is the organization's second winningest manager.
Happy birthday today to:
- 2005-06 Brewer Dana Eveland, who turns 27.
- 2007 Nashville Sound R.A. Dickey, who turns 36.
- 1990 Brewer Narciso Elvira, who turns 43.
Speaking of birthdays, Wezen-ball has revisited last season's post on the best players born on your birthday, and expanded each list to a top five.
Now, if you'll excuse me, my scent isn't quite right.
Drink up.
AFL/Winter League Update, 10/29/2010
October 29, 2010Arizona: Scottsdale 9, Surprise 5
- Brandon Kintzler: 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K
- Mike McClendon: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
McClendon has now gone 7.1 innings (five appearances) without allowing a run, and Kintzler has gone 6.1 innings (four appearances). McClendon has only allowed one hit during his streak.
With the loss the Rafters drop to 8-6 and are half a game back in the AFL National Division.
Puerto Rico: Mayaguez 3, San Juan 2
- Martin Maldonado (C, Mayaguez): 0-for-3, K
- Hiram Burgos (Mayaguez): .2 IP 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K
- Sergio Miranda (2B, San Juan): 1-for-3, BB
San Juan drops to 2-2 and remains in third place. Mayaguez improves to 1-4 and remains in last.
Official Elias Rankings Out
October 28, 2010Official Elias Rankings Out
I think the only Brewer on it is Trevor Hoffman, who's a type B. So no surprises, really.
Managerial Survivor: Off the Tracks
October 28, 2010
This series didn't work out quite as I had planned.
I was operating under the assumption that the Brewers would wait until after the World Series to select a manager, and would choose one from the list of seven selections we were voting on. As it turns out, both assumptions might (or might not) be wrong, and the new leading candidate is someone I didn't even include on the original list.
So, it's time to make lemonade out of this sucker. Let's have a conversation about Bobby Valentine.
The Thursday Thinker: Macha Mania
October 28, 2010
As it turns out, last week's Thursday Thinker was pretty hard for many of you. 49.8% of you got nine or less of the 34 answers, and only seven correct answers were guessed by more than 50% of participants.
So this week, we have a double feature. As you may or may not know, Ken Macha finished his Brewer career as the seventh winningest manager in franchise history. If you're looking for an easy quiz, here you go: How many of the top six can you name in three minutes?
For those of you looking for more of a challenge, here's the other side of the coin: In franchise history, ten managers have won fewer games than Macha. How many can you name in five minutes?
The rules remain the same: Post your score in the comments but do not comment on any specific answer until after 6 pm Central time, so everyone gets a chance to try it out without having it spoiled for them. And, of course, there's no reason to cheat here, because there aren't any prizes.
A fair number of you will get a perfect score on the first quiz, and some of you might do it on the second one too. If you get them all, post your time along with your score.
Have fun, and don't forget to post your score in the comments!
Crew raise more than $3 million for charity in ’10
October 28, 2010Thanks in part to a $1 million contribution by Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and his wife, Debbie, the Brewers Community Foundation raised more than $3 million in 2010.
Thursday’s Frosty Mug
October 28, 2010
Some things to read while looking for a place to stop.
It's possible (maybe even likely) that it's another false start, but for a while yesterday we thought we had big news on the managerial front: Bill Scott of the Wisconsin Radio Network was reporting that Bobby Valentine had an agreement in principle on a three year contract, with an announcement likely soon to follow (FanShot). From there, though, we took another step back: Doug Melvin denied having made a decision and Valentine told Tom Haudricourt "there is nothing ongoing and no meetings scheduled" between he and the team (FanShot).
So, at this point it's hard to tell where we are. Tom Haudricourt says he's hearing the Brewers are still interested in Valentine, but also open to Bob Melvin or Joey Cora if a deal doesn't get done. Neither Miller Park Drunk nor Jordan Schelling are excited about the possibility of Valentine in a Brewer uniform. Chris Mehring wonders if Greg "The Hammer" Valentine is available.
Meanwhile, we have good news regarding Bob Uecker: He was released from the hospital yesterday, eight days after undergoing heart surgery. His recovery is reportedly progressing well.
Adam McCalvy unveiled a new feature yesterday: The Brewers Six-Pack. In the inaugural edition he talked to Mike McClendon about his debut season, Camp Hoffman and his offseason plans.
It's tough to tell what the future holds for Doug Davis at this point. After a disastrous return to Milwaukee he's a free agent coming off elbow trouble, and it'd be hard for a major league team to rely on him. With that said, Matthew Pouliot of The Hardball Times ranked him at #70 on his list of free agents-to-be.
Is Davis' future brighter or dimmer than Jeff Suppan's? Yesterday Suppan was named the first ever back-to-back winner of Brew City Sports' Hendy Award for the worst Brewer.
In the minors/winter ball:
- It was a big day for the Brewers in the AFL yesterday: four Brewer prospects were in the starting lineup for Surprise and scored four of the team's seven runs in a shutout victory (AFL/Winter League Update). One of those Brewers was center fielder Logan Schafer, who was making his AFL debut.
- Bryan Smith of FanGraphs was in Arizona for a Surprise game earlier this week and has some thoughts on Dan Merklinger and Jeremy Jeffress.
Around baseball:
Blue Jays: Exercised catcher Jose Molina's option for 2011, which will pay him $1.2 million.
Tigers: Declined shortstop Jhonny Peralta's contract option for 2011 but are expected to sign him to a two year deal.
Yankees: Declined first basemen Nick Johnson and Lance Berkman and pitcher Kerry Wood's contract options for 2011.
We're not that far away from the 2010 Rule 5 Draft, and Jonathan Mayo has a reminder of its relevance: Four of the 50 players on World Series rosters were Rule 5 selections, including one player taken in the minor league phase.
Speaking of the Series, Randy Wolf previewed it for Sports Illustrated.
If you've seen it once, you've likely seen it hundreds of times: A batter works the count to his advantage, then stands and watches as a 3-0 pitch goes right down the middle for a strike. Should the batter swing more often in that situation? Jeremy Greenhouse of The Baseball Analysts looked into it.
Happy birthday today to:
- 2009 Brewer Braden Looper, who turns 36.
- 2002 Brewer Lenny Harris, who turns 46.
- Bob Melvin, who turns 49.
- 1986-91 Brewer Mark Knudson, who turns 50.
- Columbus, WI native Frank Lange, who would have turned 127. Lange pitched in the majors from 1910-1913 with the White Sox.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make dinner plans.
Drink up.